Degradation of Aflatoxin B1 in Moldy Maize by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Safety Evaluation of the Degradation Products

Aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1)) is the most harmful mycotoxin commonly found in food and feed. Pollution from AFB(1) causes serious economic and health issues worldwide because it causes strong mutagenicity and carcinogenicity in humans and animals. In this study, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was used to degrade AFB(1) in moldy maize, and the safety of this biological method was investigated using genotoxicity and cytotoxicity tests. Using response surface methodology, we established the optimal conditions for degrading AFB(1) by the fermentation supernatant of P. aeruginosa. Under these conditions, the degradation rate of AFB(1) reached 99.67%. Furthermore, the Ames mutagenicity test showed that AFB(1) treated with P. aeruginosa fermentation supernatant for 72 h was not mutagenic. CCK-8 cell assay showed that AFB(1) cytotoxicity was significantly reduced after degradation. Overall, our findings show that the fermentation supernatant of P. aeruginosa may be a good candidate for biodegradation of AFB(1).